Dreaded Bike-Unfriendly Streets - The Chainlink2024-03-29T09:44:53Zhttps://thechainlink.org/forum/topics/dreaded-non-bike-streets?feed=yes&xn_auth=noI think that's almost the poi…tag:thechainlink.org,2022-03-04:2211490:Comment:12136982022-03-04T12:36:20.670Zketoguychicagohttps://thechainlink.org/profile/ketoguychicago
<p>I think that's almost the point, and there's an extent to which the street design is like the dreaded Kinzie Street <a href="https://chi.streetsblog.org/2013/12/12/city-explains-gap-in-snow-removal-from-protected-bike-lanes-this-week/" target="_blank">https://chi.streetsblog.org/2013/12/12/city-explains-gap-in-snow-removal-from-protected-bike-lanes-this-week/</a> may come from inverted thinking. </p>
<p>Other unfriendly streets come about such as Milwaukee Ave. when anti-car people use…</p>
<p>I think that's almost the point, and there's an extent to which the street design is like the dreaded Kinzie Street <a href="https://chi.streetsblog.org/2013/12/12/city-explains-gap-in-snow-removal-from-protected-bike-lanes-this-week/" target="_blank">https://chi.streetsblog.org/2013/12/12/city-explains-gap-in-snow-removal-from-protected-bike-lanes-this-week/</a> may come from inverted thinking. </p>
<p>Other unfriendly streets come about such as Milwaukee Ave. when anti-car people use inverted thinking and focus on not wanting cars, and we get unplowed areas behind barriers (including the dreaded stretch of Clybourn Ave) and instead of actually separating cars and bikes, we get cars and bikes even closer together there and on the dreaded Elston Ave. too. </p>
<p>So reverting as suggested, instead of anti-car people focusing on what they don't want, people can focus on what they do want, which is enjoyable safer cycling like on the lake front path. </p>
<p>Halsted Street has the reverting going on with the whole bike lane removal idea. </p>
<p>So if people avoid the inverted thinking of not wanting cars, and instead focus on what we want (better cycling) we can get better cycling.</p>
<p>Another bike-unfriendly street lately was Harrison around the UIC campus where the only way to ride was to ride with car and truck traffic from some construction there, all while the bike lane behind the plastic thingies went unplowed. It's melted for now which is nice, but no street sweeping yet, same problem. </p>
<p></p> Hey guys, I like the discussi…tag:thechainlink.org,2022-03-01:2211490:Comment:12134642022-03-01T16:23:49.131ZDavid Barishhttps://thechainlink.org/profile/DavidBarish
<p>Hey guys, I like the discussion off bike lanes and am interested in both sides of that discussion, but agree with Curtis's original comment about the thread. I will not call it a hijack but a side track. I think there is rich ground for a new thread about this but frankly recall that others exist. Please feel to keep up the discussion there. This one is a resource for people looking for streets to avoid.</p>
<p>One point that is worth mentioning is that in the …</p>
<p>Hey guys, I like the discussion off bike lanes and am interested in both sides of that discussion, but agree with Curtis's original comment about the thread. I will not call it a hijack but a side track. I think there is rich ground for a new thread about this but frankly recall that others exist. Please feel to keep up the discussion there. This one is a resource for people looking for streets to avoid.</p>
<p>One point that is worth mentioning is that in the winter weather the thinking gets inverted. Normally, we love side streets where there is lower impact cycling. However, in the city, the side streets are the last ones that get cleaned and the safer choice is often the boulevard you see in this thread as it is at least freer of snow, ice and everything else. Now that we are in meteorological spring we can revert the inverted and return to the thread. :-)</p>
<p></p> 103rd, hell no! I mean, I rid…tag:thechainlink.org,2022-03-01:2211490:Comment:12136922022-03-01T15:53:39.398Zcurt(is) lockehttps://thechainlink.org/profile/curtismyers
<p>103rd, hell no! I mean, I ride it occasionally, but it's a <strong>major</strong> detour coming from south Hegewisch and it's a balls out cannonball run through a minefield of potholes, rough road due to heavy truck traffic, and merging traffic entering and exiting 94. Again, not for the timid.</p>
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<p>103rd, hell no! I mean, I ride it occasionally, but it's a <strong>major</strong> detour coming from south Hegewisch and it's a balls out cannonball run through a minefield of potholes, rough road due to heavy truck traffic, and merging traffic entering and exiting 94. Again, not for the timid.</p>
<p></p> And 103rd isn't much better f…tag:thechainlink.org,2022-03-01:2211490:Comment:12136892022-03-01T14:32:03.888ZJames Popphttps://thechainlink.org/profile/JamesPopp
<p>And 103rd isn't much better for the comparable segment. I'm looking forward the Big Marsh Connection Project that will hopefully give us some safe, quicker alternatives. I usually take Doty to Stony to 122nd to 126th and out over towards Indiana. Which feels better, but longer. Always the fun variable of street racers on Stony. </p>
<p>And 103rd isn't much better for the comparable segment. I'm looking forward the Big Marsh Connection Project that will hopefully give us some safe, quicker alternatives. I usually take Doty to Stony to 122nd to 126th and out over towards Indiana. Which feels better, but longer. Always the fun variable of street racers on Stony. </p> Sorry to hear it.
I am SO rea…tag:thechainlink.org,2022-02-10:2211490:Comment:12133212022-02-10T22:39:13.098ZAnne Althttps://thechainlink.org/profile/Anne91
<p>Sorry to hear it.</p>
<p>I am SO ready for spring, or at least for most of the snow and ice to melt so that lanes are relatively clear again.</p>
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<p>Sorry to hear it.</p>
<p>I am SO ready for spring, or at least for most of the snow and ice to melt so that lanes are relatively clear again.</p>
<p></p> Exactly. They just finished a…tag:thechainlink.org,2022-02-09:2211490:Comment:12133172022-02-09T04:27:48.260ZKelly Reaveshttps://thechainlink.org/profile/KellyReaves
<p>Exactly. They just finished adding beefy cement buffered curbs to the left side of the bike lane on Lake St at Kedzie and the only reason I’ve been able to even ride through there since all this snow is by following the car tire tread marks from them squeezing through the buffered bike area. Sigh. </p>
<p>Exactly. They just finished adding beefy cement buffered curbs to the left side of the bike lane on Lake St at Kedzie and the only reason I’ve been able to even ride through there since all this snow is by following the car tire tread marks from them squeezing through the buffered bike area. Sigh. </p> I hear you,
This pic really h…tag:thechainlink.org,2022-02-09:2211490:Comment:12134082022-02-09T01:47:38.539Zketoguychicagohttps://thechainlink.org/profile/ketoguychicago
<p>I hear you,</p>
<p>This pic really highlights the issue with this design, now a week out from when the plows were working the area. It's about a foot deep in the bike lane itself, and the plow has to stay left of the plastic else it takes them out, which meant the busses couldn't pass each other unless they cooperate with the little turn-out areas. (which they couldn't do for a few days especially when snow was coming down) Alas, CDOT's design that sounds good in theory isn't so good in…</p>
<p>I hear you,</p>
<p>This pic really highlights the issue with this design, now a week out from when the plows were working the area. It's about a foot deep in the bike lane itself, and the plow has to stay left of the plastic else it takes them out, which meant the busses couldn't pass each other unless they cooperate with the little turn-out areas. (which they couldn't do for a few days especially when snow was coming down) Alas, CDOT's design that sounds good in theory isn't so good in practice simply because they can't keep up with it in practice. </p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10082303098?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10082303098?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="345" class="align-left" height="161"/></a></p> While I am an advocate for bi…tag:thechainlink.org,2022-02-07:2211490:Comment:12132232022-02-07T18:26:45.023ZBrett Millerhttps://thechainlink.org/profile/BrettCMiller
<p>While I am an advocate for bike lanes, and buffered bike lanes, in general, every winter I am reminded that the designated, separated bike lanes are often unpassable for long stretches after snowfall. In non-winter months, separated bike lanes are sometimes littered with glass and other unwelcome debris that doesn't get cleared out via a regular street-cleaning schedule since the lanes are, by definition separate. It takes a similarly separate and committed bike lane maintenance schedule to…</p>
<p>While I am an advocate for bike lanes, and buffered bike lanes, in general, every winter I am reminded that the designated, separated bike lanes are often unpassable for long stretches after snowfall. In non-winter months, separated bike lanes are sometimes littered with glass and other unwelcome debris that doesn't get cleared out via a regular street-cleaning schedule since the lanes are, by definition separate. It takes a similarly separate and committed bike lane maintenance schedule to keep dedicated bike lanes safe and available to their full potential, and I haven't seen that commitment to 100% of Chicago's bike infrastructure.</p>
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<p>I won't go full "STOP THE MADNESS, NO MORE BIKE LANES!!!!" (lol) on the forum, as I believe the benefits of bike lanes far outweigh the costs in terms of progressing and maintaining Chicago, or any metropolitan area for that matter, as a forward-thinking alternate transit welcoming city, but the downsides of bike lanes, especially during this time of year are a reality to be faced and considered.</p>
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<p>Signed, a winter cyclist</p> I agree 100% with ketoguychic…tag:thechainlink.org,2022-02-05:2211490:Comment:12130642022-02-05T17:46:22.905ZMarkhttps://thechainlink.org/profile/Mark314
<p>I agree 100% with ketoguychicago. Buffered bike lanes, please. </p>
<p>I agree 100% with ketoguychicago. Buffered bike lanes, please. </p> In your original posting, you…tag:thechainlink.org,2022-02-05:2211490:Comment:12133102022-02-05T15:27:53.619Zcurt(is) lockehttps://thechainlink.org/profile/curtismyers
<p>In your original posting, you identified NO particular stretch of road but instead laid into "a handful of anti-automobile misfits masquerading as pro-cycling" and "It's as if a few folks at CDOT have friends thinking they'll do better selling fatty tire bikes. Or friends who are orthopedic surgeons. Certainly not the finest hour for bike lane 'advocates' and their ilk."</p>
<p>Furthermore, I seriously doubt the piling up of the traffic consequences you describe in your second sentence due…</p>
<p>In your original posting, you identified NO particular stretch of road but instead laid into "a handful of anti-automobile misfits masquerading as pro-cycling" and "It's as if a few folks at CDOT have friends thinking they'll do better selling fatty tire bikes. Or friends who are orthopedic surgeons. Certainly not the finest hour for bike lane 'advocates' and their ilk."</p>
<p>Furthermore, I seriously doubt the piling up of the traffic consequences you describe in your second sentence due to bike lanes in general or specifically these admittedly ill-conceived bike lanes along Clark in Edgewater, which I personally loathe and refuse to use even when there's not a speck of snow on the ground. </p>
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